The Mid Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay is the glitzier, man-made cousin to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.  Whereas the Botanic Gardens have been a Singapore institution for over 100 years, the Gardens by the Bay, and the reclaimed land that they're on, weren't even there when I visited Singapore in 1998.  The Botanic Gardens have majestic old trees, with trunks as big as 5 people.  Gardens by the Bay have huge trees, too, but they are made of metal, with plants growing in them to create their greenery.  The Botanic Gardens celebrate many different native flowers with particular gardens devoted to them, including the Orchid Garden and Ginger Garden.  At Gardens by the Bay, the flowers are housed in air conditioned domes, and different seasonal flower shows can be brought in.  If this sounds like I prefer the botanic Gardens to the Gardens by the Bay, that is not true.  They are two different animals.  I like the celebration of the native plants at Singapore's Botanic Gardens, but there were times when I would have killed for a little air conditioning as I walked through the gardens in Singapore's sweltering heat.

To celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival, Gardens by the Bay put up many different lit inflatables.  Some celebrated Chinese heritage, while others depicted fairy tales.  There was a whole selection of lit masks, as well as the zodiac signs, with the horoscope for the coming year.  My favorite section, however, was the lanterns made by local artists and art students, using recycled materials.  I wonder if they have a special pinterest site for that!

Rich and I planned to go to the Gardens by the Bay after he finished working on Tuesday.  But, as is typical in Singapore, the skies opened up at 4 in the afternoon.  When it was still raining at 6, we decided to skip it that evening.  It became clear that Rich wasn't as interested in attending the Gardens as I was.  With our imminent departure, I wanted to make sure to take in as much of Singapore culture and tradition as possible.

Late Wednesday afternoon, I boarded the MRT to get to the Gardens by the Bay.  It was a beautiful, clear evening, and even slightly cooler than normal.  In short, it was a lovely evening that Rich would have greatly enjoyed.  But I hadn't asked him to come along, because it was clear to me that extracurricular activities on work nights were just not fun for him.  The last thing he wanted when he got home at 8 PM, was to be dragged out again!  So I hurried to the Gardens by the Bay, hoping to see all that I wanted to see, and still beat Rich home for dinner.  I did not plan on the fact that many of the inflatables wouldn't be lit up 'til 7 PM.  I rushed around and got all of my pictures, and even managed to beat Rich home, and have a beer waiting for him when he got there!

Love these Converse All Star Gladiator Sandals!!!